Safety appliance for railway-switches.



, J W. MOMANAMA. SAFETY APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY SWITOHES.

APPLIUATIOR FILED MAY 9, 190a;

Patented Aug. 9,1910.

UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. "MCMANAMA, OF WAL'IH AM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BOSTONS AFETY SWITCH COMfPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SAFETY .APPLIHNCE FOR .RAILWAY -SWITCHES.

Patented Aug.19, 1910.

Application-filed May 9, 1908. Serial *No. 4311847.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, J OHN W. MCMANAMA of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex and State :of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Appliances for Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a two-point railway switch, comprlslng fixed rails and a pair of movable switch rails or points which are connected to move in unison, means being employed for moving the switch rails to open and close the switch.

As explained in my "Patent No. 876,577, granted-January 14, 1908, itnot infrequently happens that a switchman fails to fully throw the switch, and leaves the movable switch rails or points slightly separatedfrom the inner sides of the fixed track rails be* "tween whichthey are located, the separation between the switch rails and theJfiXed rails being sufficient topermit the. flanges of wheels of an engine or car approaching the switch, to run between the points of the switch rails and the adjacent inner sides of the fixed rails, the result being the derailment of the wheels, this derailment being often attended with serious damage.

The particular object of mypresent invention is to provide an improvement in the structure described and claimed in mysaid patent, which improvement will result in favoring the main line of the railway. It

is known of course that trains more frequently use the main line than the branch track portion, andjpass the switch at a much greater speed when running on the main line than when itis intended that the train shall be switched off to the branch line. In my present structure, therefore, I have provided means whereby the continuation of the main line is insured by a movement of being shown in its closed position with the main track continuous. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of'one of the fixed rails and the safety appliance embodying my invention associated therewith, thepushbar hereinafter described being in the position which it would occupy when theswitchlpoints are inthe position shown in *Fig. 1. Fig. a View similar to Fig. 2 but showing the push bar in the position which it occupies when the switch has not .beelrcompletely thrown to the position shown in Fig. 1. Figret is a view similar to Fig. l but showing the branch line as open. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the push bar in the *position which it occupies when the switch points are in the position shown in Fig. 4L Fig. (3 is a detail elevation of thesbell crank lever operatingmechanism. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but illustrating another form of guide for the movements of the push bar.

In the drawings, 12 12 representthe fixed track rails, and 13 13themovable track rails or switch points constituting the usual twopoint switch, the switch rails 13 being adapted to occupy the position shown in Fig. 1 to make the main track continuous, and the position shown in Fig. a to connectthe main track with a branch. The switch rails 13 are connected and caused to move in unison by a cross bar 14, and are moved by suitable mechanism whicln as here shown, includes a switch lever 15 connected with a vertical rock shaft, which is connected by a link 16 with the cross bar 14. The construction above referred to is commonand well known, and is here shown for the purpose of illustrating my invention hereinafter described.

The push bar 1 7 is located beside oneof the fixed rails 12 as shown and described in my patent aforesaid, the same being capable of moving endwise and of being given a rising and falling movement as a result of its endwise movement, the arrangement being such that, when the pushbar is at either eX- treme of its movement, its upper edge is sub stantially flush with the tread of the rail 12 beside which it is located, as shown in Fig. 2. Said push bar is supported by links 18 pivoted at 19 to fixed supports, said links being pivoted at 20 to the push bar. The location of the pivotal supports 19 relatively to the pivots 20, when the push bar is to occupy the position shown in Fig. 2 and to maintain the main track continuous, is at the rear or away from the actual switch points,

groove to receive a rib on the under side of an arm 27 which is removably secured in the position shown in Fig. 6. The rib and groove interlock to keep the arm from swinging. The casting base and the outer end of said arm 27 are formed with recesses in alinement to receive the trunnions 23 of a hub 21 of an arm 22. Said hub 21 also has an adjustable arm 220. This construction provides for conveniently locating and setting up the switch operating device, and is durable and strong.

A rod or link 24 connects the push bar 17 with the outer end of the long arm 22, and the link 25 connects the outer end of the short and adjustable arm 220 to the cross bar 1 1. Practically the arms 22 and 220 connected to the hub 21 constitute a bell crank lever. The arm 220 in the form illustrated, is adjustable by reason of its being screw-threaded and fitting a threaded opening in the hub 21. This enables a nice adjustment to be effected to insure the proper height for the push bar 17 when the main lineof the railway track is closed or continuous.

It will now be understood that, if the switch has been incompletely thrown so that the push bar is slightly elevated above the rail 12 as indicated in Fig. 8, an engine approaching at a high rate of speed and moving in the direction of the arrow in said Fig. 3, will be certain to move the push bar forward and downward, and do it easily regardless of the speed of travel, owing to the fact that the movement, which it is desired shall be imparted to the push bar, is almost in the same direction as that in which the train is moving. This is due to the fact that the pivots 19 for the links 18 are at a greater distance from the switch points than the pivots 20 when the push bar is in the position which it must occupy when the switch points render the main track continuous or nearly so. Of course when the branch track is to be used, the switchman throws the lever 15 in a direction so as to shift the switch points to or toward the position shown in Fig. 4. If he fails to completely throw the switch, the push bar will occupy a position slightly above that shown in Fig. 5. The pivot points 20 are now at a greater distance from the switch points than the pivots 19 so that a movement of the push bar to complete the throwing of the switch must be somewhat rearward as well as downward relatively to the direction of movement of the train. But since the train will always; or should be always at a lesser speed when approaching the branch track, the wheels of the locomotive will not fail to depress the push bar 17 downward and backward so as to complete the throw of the switch points to their extreme position for directing the train on to the branch track.

The construction of the casting 26 which is bolted or otherwise secured to a tie or other suitable base, and the removable cap 27 enables the hell crank lever, consisting of the hub 21 and arms 22 and 220, to be readily placed in position or removed when it is desired to change the adjustment of the arm 220, or for other purposes.

Instead of the links which serve as guides to control the path of movement of the push bar from one extreme to the other, I may employ fixed plates 1.80 having slots 181 which receive and guide pins 182 projecting from the push bar 17.

I claim In a railway switch, in combination, a single track, a branch including movable switch members, a longitudinally and vertically movable push bar located beside one of the rails of the single track portion, a casting having a base formed to rest upon and be attached to a fiat-topped support and having an upright portion, an arm removably secured to said upright portion and having a portion interlocking therewith, said arm and base having recesses in alinement, a hub having trunnions mounted in said recesses and having a long arm and a shorter arm, the latter being adjustable, a link connecting said long arm and push bar, and connections between said movable switch members and the adjustable arm of the said hub.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W, MoMANAMA.

WVitnesses:

T. F. KEARNS, JOHN A. TOLMAN. 

